MLB Player News

Hernandez (shoulder) isn't expected to begin the 2019 season with the Red Sox, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports.

Hernandez underwent shoulder surgery in July -- his third shoulder surgery in less than 14 months. It's unclear if the injury will prevent him from breaking camp with the big club, or if the Red Sox are simply content with Brock Holt, Eduardo Nunez and Tzu-Wei Lin as their reserve infielders.

President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Pedroia (knee) will not need surgery this offseason, Ian Browne of MLB.com reports.

Instead, Pedroia -- who was limited to just three games in 2018 due to lingering left knee inflammation -- will continue rehabbing through the middle of December before ramping up his activities from there. The veteran second baseman is expected to start running in January, and if all goes well, the hope if that he'll bet ready for the start of the 2019 campaign.

Davidson was diagnosed with a mid-foot sprain over the weekend after initial X-rays revealed no structural damage, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Before officially verifying that Davidson didn't fracture his foot in Saturday's Arizona Fall League championship game, the Braves will send the outfielder in for follow-up X-rays Monday. If the latest scans confirm the original diagnosis, Davidson should be back to full strength well before spring training gets underway.

The Red Sox intend to have Swihart work primarily as a catcher in spring training, though he'll continue to take reps at other positions during the offseason, Jason Mastrodonato of the Boston Herald reports.

With Christian Vazquez and Sandy Leon entering the 2018 season as the Red Sox's top two backstops, the Red Sox groomed the switch-hitting Swihart for a utility role in an attempt to maximize his opportunities. With the exception of Dustin Pedroia (knee), Boston generally enjoyed good health from most of its core contributors, resulting in Swihart making only 207 plate appearances. The lack of consistent playing time likely had a negative impact on Swihart's performance at the dish, with the 26-year-old managing a lowly .229/.285/.328 line (64 wRC+). That was still better offensive production than either Vazquez or Leon offered, so Swihart could get the chance to factor into the timeshare behind the plate more frequently if his defense is up to par. That has always been the main concern for Swihart, however, so if he fails to show improvement in that regard the spring, a long-awaited trade elsewhere could finally materialize.

Aybar is looking to make a MLB comeback in 2019, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Aybar played in the Mexican League in 2018, hitting .291/.354/.401 with three homers and six steals across 43 games. The soon-to-be 35-year-old last played in the majors with the Padres in 2017, hitting .234/.300/.348 with seven homers and 11 stolen bases in 108 games.

Perez (shoulder) had his contract selected from High-A Lakeland on Monday.

Perez was added to the Tigers' 40-man roster in order to protect the young right-hander from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Perez registered just 11 innings for Lakeland in 2018 thanks to lat and shoulder injuries -- the second of which was season-ending. When healthy, he posted a 7.94 ERA and 2.07 WHIP. Look for the well-regarded pitching prospect to report to High-A or Double-A to start the 2019 campaign.

Suzuki agreed to a two-year contract with the Nationals on Monday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

The deal is pending a physical. Suzuki will likely open the year as the primary backstop for Washington. He's been one of the better offensive catchers over the past two seasons despite his shared role with Tyler Flowers, posting a 116 wRC+ during that stretch -- the fourth best mark among catchers over that period.

Layne signed a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

The southpaw had trouble finding a landing spot last season after a horrible 2017 campaign in the majors. The Cardinals took a chance on him, and he responded by posting a 1.35 ERA and a 34:4 K:BB in 26 frames. Layne figures to compete for a spot in the Cardinals' bullpen during spring training, though he'll need to outperform arms like Chasen Shreve, Brett Cecil, Tyler Webb and Hunter Cervenka to avoid starting the season in the minors again.

The deal includes an invitation to spring training. Ravelo has spent each of the last three seasons at Triple-A, hitting .308/.392/.487 with 13 homers across 100 games with the Memphis Redbirds. With Matt Carpenter and Jose Martinez ahead of him on the depth chart, Ravelo looks to be an organizational depth piece in 2019.

Cervenka agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cardinals on Monday that includes an invitation to major-league spring training.

The left-hander struggled a bit in the majors in 2016 and 2017, but after spending a bit of time in an independent league, he shined with the Tigers' Triple-A affiliate. Cervenka posted a 2.36 ERA and a 31:8 K:BB in 26 frames. He'll have a chance to work his way onto the big-league roster during spring training, but he'll likely have to outperform Chasen Shreve, Brett Cecil and Tyler Webb to avoid spending more time in the minors.